Contents tagged with OSCE SMM
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Germany and France: OSCE observers in Donbas are not allowed to move freely under the pretext of combating coronavirus
According to Berlin and Paris, pro-Russian separatists in the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics obstruct the work of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in eastern Ukraine, under the pretext of protection against the spread of coronavirus, reports Deutsche Welle.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian said they were "very concerned" about the restrictions faced by OSCE SMM staff in Ukraine from March 21, 2020.
"Observers should be able …
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Pro-Russian militants in Donbas open fire on OSCE drone in the presence of observers
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine reports that five LPR militants from the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) opened fire on drone of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in the presence of observers.
The incident occurred on February 15 in a disengagement area in the village of Zolote. While at the LPR checkpoint, observers warned the militants that an SMM mid-range UAV was flying in the area. However, the armed formations opened fire on the UAV from ten meters away …
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Russia sends more weapons and military equipment to the Donbas
The Joint Centre for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire in the Donbas stated that the number of ceasefire violations in the Donbas has increased because Russia has increased the number of heavy equipment and weapons by nearly tenfold over the past month, the Joint Forces Operation’s [JFO] press center reported on Facebook.
“In July, the OSCE SMM registered an unprecedented increase in heavy weapons and military equipment, found in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region. …
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US urges Russia to withdraw weapons and troops from Eastern Ukraine
The U.S. Department of State urged Russia to withdraw weapons and troops from eastern Ukraine. Heather Nauert, the Press Secretary of the American Foreign Ministry, made a statement on April 23, the anniversary U.S. citizen Joseph Stone’s death. Stone served as a paramedic with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (SMM).
Nauert stated: “The United States calls on Russia to initiate a real and durable ceasefire, to withdraw its …
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US: Russia continues to intimidate OSCE observers in Donbas
The United States accuses Russia of continuing to intimidate the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in the Donbas, and preventing it from carrying out its tasks. A statement to this effect was made by US Chargé d'Affaires Harry Kamian on Thursday, January 11, Ukrinform reports.
“The SMM in Ukraine is a critically important component of the OSCE response. The SMM plays an important role in the process of implementing the Minsk agreements. However, Russia and her proxies continue to …
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Kremlin unhappy with U.S. reaction to separatist attacks on OSCE observers in Ukraine
The Press Secretary to the President of Russia, Dmitry Peskov, did not like how the United States responded to insurgent attacks on the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in the area of military activity in eastern Ukraine, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.
"We believe that it is necessary to be more careful in the assessment of the situation, especially in determining the source of provocation ... these same OSCE observers recorded repeatedly that the source of provocative …
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OSCE calls for ceasefire at Donetsk water filtration plant
The Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE in Ukraine (OSCE SMM) insists on the cessation of shelling of the Donetsk filtration plant by all sides of the conflict in the Donbas. This position was announced in a statement by the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ertugrul Apakan, which was published on Facebook on Friday, February 24.
"The shelling of the filtration plant, as well as the fact that, contrary to their promises, these parties have still not taken away …
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OSCE said their observers were held at a separatist checkpoint for more than an hour
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission said that members of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic held their observers for more than an hour at a checkpoint near Horlivka.
"The armed members of the so-called DPR searched the SMM cars at the first checkpoint. The patrol was released after being held for 70 minutes at the checkpoints," the OSCE SMM stated in a Twitter post, published on the evening of February 10th.
The Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE in Ukraine has repeatedly mentioned …
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US representative to the OSCE: There is evidence that Russia prepared the Avdiivka offensive a week ahead of the attack
According to the reports of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission there is evidence that Russian forces were preparing a massive offensive the day before the situation escalated at Avdiivka. US representative to OSCE Kate Byrnes made a statement to this effect during the meeting of the Permanent Council in Vienna on the 9th of February.
There is clear evidence of a military buildup of separatist forces in this region ahead of the attack.
“A week before the start of the assault, in separatist- …
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Ukraine supports OSCE's intention to have monitors working round-the-clock in the Donbas
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine supports the OSCE's intention to ensure round-the-clock operations of the organization’s monitors in the Donbas, as stated by the Chief of the General Staff Viktor Muzhenko, who met with the head of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, Ertugrul Apakan.
"We support the intention of the OSCE SMM to provide additional equipment to its observers and to deploy advanced observation posts in the occupied territories of the Donbas", the Defense Ministry' …